Fred
by jedi4ever11
Summary: The time and place is 1976, in northern Maine. Little Alexia Peirce is playing with her imaginary friend Fred, little does she know, she is playing in the land whose boundaries are that of imagination, she has just crossed over into… The Twilight Zone.


**Author's** **Note **

Hi there! I wrote this story for college and chose to edit it because it reminded me of something I'd watch on The Twilight Zone. Hope you like it!

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**Fred**

Alexia Peirce, also known as Hope, sat in the center of her living room. Her face stared up at the ceiling. Grey eyes glinted back and forth at the figure above her. She named him Fred. Fred was a ghost. Fred was actually out back buried under the deck. Hope was the name Fred gave her, after his mom Hope. Alexia's parents hated the name. The doctor's said she had an over-active imaginations and she'd grow out of her imaginary friends one day. "But Fred is real!" She'd always yell. They never believed her. If he was apart of such a large imagination then why could he open doors? Move things? Talk?

Alexia sat up abruptly and starting laughing. Her mother was appalled. "Alexia!" She yelled storming into the living room, "What are you doing?" The little girl jumped by her voice. Fred touched her shoulder to relax her. His head tipped to the side. His brown hair brushed up against Alexia's. "I'm laughing…" She muttered looking up at him. "At Fred!" Her mother's eyes narrowed. "Fred is an imaginary friend Alexia, put him away." Away? Fred isn't put away like an old toy! Fred is a friend! Fred is Hope's best friend! Hope wouldn't just "put him away" like _they_ did. She isn't _they._ "But Mommy! I don't want to!" She wined. Fred sat down beside her and frowned. "She doesn't get it." He said. Alexia nodded, "Mommy, Fred is my friend!"

Later in the day Alexia was back at the therapist. Dr. Robin sat across from her dressed in a black skirt and a dark sapphire blouse. Fred liked the color. He said it suited her blue eyes. Dr. Robin didn't reply. "Can you tell me more about Fred?" She asked Alexia.

She nodded excitedly, she knew everything about him! "Yes," She started with a smile, "Fred is my friend. He's six, like I am. I can see him as clear as day!"  
"And what does he look like Hope?" Dr. Robin asked, using Fred's nickname for Alexia, because Alexia like it. "He has blonde hair and green eyes." Alexia said with confidence, "Mommy doesn't believe me, she's not happy with Fred." Dr. Robin nodded, "And why is that?"  
"Because, she says he isn't real. But he is!"  
Dr. Robin looked down at a small notebook and scribbled something down on paper. "Your Mommy says Fred was your father's name." Alexia nodded again, "Yes it was. Fred likes to know he has Daddy's name."  
"When did you start seeing Fred?"  
"Right when Daddy died. Fred is under the deck."  
Dr. Robin sat up in her chair. A slight ache crept in her chest. "What do you mean, Fred is under the deck…?"  
"It's where he lives!"  
"Oh," She said shrugging it off, "of course."

Alexia, her mother, and of course Fred went home. They ate, and her mother tucked her into bed. After she left Fred came back. He smiled, tucked the Blue's Clues blanket up over her shoulders and smiled. "Nighty-night Hope." He smiled. "Nighty-night." Alexia yawned. She liked when Fred tucked her in. She liked when he told her bedtime stories too. "Alexia? Whom are you talking to?" She could hear her mother from the next room. Fred smiled and disappeared. "No one Mommy." Alexia called out.

"I think you should wear the pink dress." Fred suggested. Alexia's mother's eyes narrowed. "What did you say Alexia?" She shrugged, "Fred said you should wear the pink dress!" This made her mom madder then before, she threw the dress in the back in her closet and pulled out a dark blue one. Fred smiled, "I wanted her to wear that one anyways." Alexia laughed and nodded, "Me too." Her mother glared back at her. "Lexi, go downstairs, leave Fred _here?_ I don't want to be late."

Alexia was quiet the way to the therapist, Fred was quite too. They were quiet when they walked into the colorfully painted lobby. Alexia's mother kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Go have fun." She smiled. Fred and Alexia walked back into Dr. Robin's room and sat down in the two seats in front of her. Dr. Robin smiled at Alexia. "How are you today Hope?" She asked. Alexia sat back and brushed the wrinkles out of her green overalls. She looked up at Dr. Robin. Something was off. A tall man stood behind her; dressed in a black suit. He smiled down at her; his kind blue eyes glinted in the light above. "Hi there." He said. Alexia glanced at Fred. "Say hi!" He said standing up. "I'm Fred." He said to the man. The man didn't reply. "Hi…" Alexia said shyly.

"Now Hope, you don't mind of he is here? Do you?" Dr. Robin asked with a reassuring smile. The man stepped forward. "You shouldn't be afraid you know. I'd like to hear about Fred."  
"What's your name sir?" Fred ordered. Alexia repeated his question.  
"You can call me Nick, if you want." He smiled.  
"My name is Alexia, but you can call me Hope." Alexia looked at Fred, "And this is Fred. He lives under the deck." Nick nodded, "How do you know Fred lives under the deck?" He asked. "_Because_," Alexia smiled, "I saw him there!"  
"How did he get there?"  
"Mommy put him there."  
Dr. Robin's eyes doubled in size. "How did she put him there?" Nick asked sitting down beside her.

"_Well_." Alexia said, "I saw her! Right after Daddy died. She buried him under the deck! Then Fred came!"

Nick glanced back at Dr. Robin. "How did she put your Daddy under the deck…?"  
"She shot him. With a gun. Then put him under the deck!"

Nick smiled, "Wasn't your Daddy's name Fred?"  
She nodded, "Yep, and my Grandma's name is Hope! And my Mommy's name is Alice!"  
"Now Hope, did you see your Mommy hurt your Daddy?"  
She nodded, "Well duh! She _shot_ him and put him under the _deck._"

Fred smiled, "It hurt!" He said, "A lot!"

"He said it hurt," Alexia pointed to Fred, "A lot."

She sat up then and brushed the wrinkles off of her dress. "Is my Mommy going to jail? She doesn't like Fred you know; she says he's my _imaginary _friend. She's a liar you know." Fred laughed. "Is she going away now?" She yawned. Dr. Robin gazed down at her. She had only been a therapist for a year; she never thought she'd deal with a kid who likes to talk to the ghost of her dead father! "Well…" Nick said finally, "I'm not sure." Alexia rolled her eyes, "Well of _course_ she is! I saw those bad guy shows before; when the bad guys kill the peoples they go to jail! I told Mommy but she didn't listen."

Dr. Robin held Alexia's hand as Nick and two other officers went to talk to her mother.

Alexia sat in a waiting room chair. He tiny feet swung off from the ground. She tried her best to read the words in the book she held to Robin. "Dr. Robin," she asked looking up at the dark-hair woman, "are the police men gonna take Mommy away now?" Fred nodded, "Yep! Finally!" Robin smiled lightly, shifting slightly in her place. "Well your mommy _is_ going away for a little while, but don't worry. Your aunt Nala will take care of you until then." Alexia yawned and nodded, resting her chin in the base of her palm. "Okey dokey. How long will my Mommy be away for?" Robin shrugged, "How long do you _think_ she should be away for?"  
Alexia thought about this for a moment. She twisted a thin blonde curl around her little fingers. "Well on the bad guy shows the bad guys go away forever."  
"And do you think that's how long your mommy will be away for?"  
Fred nodded before his blue eyes jumped up towards the door. A tall young woman dressed in a pale lavender dress stood there for a moment. The sun behind her, and the stray blonde hairs around her face made her look like an angel. Her grey-green eyes jumped around the room with worry and stress. Robin nudged Alexia out of her near sleep and stood up from her chair.

"You're Nala McClain I presume?" Robin said with a smile. The woman nodded and glanced down at Alexia. "Is she asleep?" She whispered, laughing under her breath. Alexia stretched over two chairs; Robin's grey blazer covered her shoulders. Fred smiled lightly; his figure morphed and grew into a tall man. He had dark blonde hair and pale grey-blue eyes and a kind smile. He kissed the top of his daughter's head and slowly faded away.

_Thank you Alexia, I love you, Little Bird._


End file.
